Wednesday

Authorities have been looking for the woman accused of threatening witnesses in the drive-by shooting case against her twin nephews.

CANTON The aunt of twins charged in a drive-by shooting has surrendered, a week after her Facebook-posted rants led to a felony warrant for her arrest.

Bond has been set at $1 million for Shanele J. Backie, 34, of the 1200 block of Oby Place NW. She is accused of threatening witnesses in the case against her relatives.

Backie was arrested at 8:20 p.m. Tuesday at the Stark County Jail by Stark County Sheriff's deputies, who had a felony warrant for her arrest on five counts of intimidation of a crime victim or witness.

The warrant was issued Aug. 29, Stark County court records show.

Federal and local authorities have been looking for her after she obtained copies of witness statements in an active investigation and posted them on Facebook.

Backie's Facebook page was riddled Friday with photographs of the statements that contain the names and addresses of everyone officers interviewed and the information those people supplied, according to a Canton Repository article publlished Friday on CantonRep.com. The statements also include the methods authorities used to obtain information. Some of the photographs appear to have been snapped in the front seat of a car.

Backie's Facebook page also includes profanity-laced rants, including racial slurs, and refers to the other suspects in the shooting and the witnesses as "snitches."

Maj. C.J. Stantz of the Stark County Sheriff's Office and Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Michael Bickis said last week that the paperwork containing the witness statements did not come from their offices. Bickis said officials are investigating how Backie obtained the documents, which Stantz said are not public information.

Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Day said the paperwork contained summaries of the statements, "which is even more dangerous because those are not the actual statements, and the information may or may not be accurate. It's a summary of (witness) statements."

Prosecutors believe Backie posted the statements as a means of threatening the witnesses in an attempt to keep them from testifying against her nephews, Khalil E. Walker, 18, of the 800 block of 44th St. NW, and Khalik E. Walker, 18, of the 5200 block of Orchardale Drive NW.

The boys are charged in connection with a May 22 drive-by shooting in the 2500 block of 45th Street NW. No one was reportedly injured, but a house was struck several times. Also charged in connection with the shooting were the following: Giovanna Sciddurlo, 21, of the 2700 block of 17th Street NW; Nino V. Fernandez, 18, of the 400 block of Hazlett Avenue NW; and Jessie Lee Butler III, 21, of the 900 block of Clarendon Avenue SW.

The trials are expected to take place in December.

Reach Lori at 330-580-8309 or lori.steineck@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @lsteineckREP

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